The Carpenter
by Tukkus
Summary: Spencer begins an unexpected relationship with the carpenter that her parents hired.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Now Hiring**

Peter Hastings came into the house after a long day of work. He sighed as he put his jacket on the chair by their breakfast bar. His wife Veronica walked into the living room when she heard her husband returning.  
"Hello, honey," Veronica said, rubbing his shoulders. "Long day at work?"  
"As usual," Peter said, chuckling just a bit. "I also think we need to get some renovations done outside in our yard. You think you could hire Mr. Sweeney's crew to get it done? There's a bunch of fence problems in the back yard."

"Oh Peter, you know what a hassle that all those renovations are!" Veronica cried. "Are you sure you want to go through with something as big as that?"  
"Honey, I'm sure of it," Peter said, nodding his head. "The fence outside is horrendous. It's outdated. We need someone to fix all that crap outside. If you don't have the time, I'll call up Mr. Sweeney myself and have him do it."  
"Relax, relax, I'll do it right now," Veronica said. "Do you want to tell Spencer? I was going to say Melissa, too, but then I remembered that she left the house." Veronica laughed quietly along with Peter.  
"It's fine, what happens isn't really any of her business," Peter said, shrugging. "Make sure to get them to come as soon as possible. The longer I look at that hideous fence, the more I cringe."  
Veronica rolled her eyes as she made the call to Mr. Sweeney.

"Hello, is this Mr. Sweeney's crew?" Veronica asked, pressing the phone to her ear. "Yeah, hi, I'm Veronica Hastings. We have a job that needs to be done in our first yard. What's the soonest that we can get your crew to start working on our yard? Wait, what did you just say? Oh, that's horrible. I'm sorry, that won't work for us. That's ridiculous. Are you serious that there's no earlier than that? Fine, whatever, it's your loss of a customer. Goodbye, Mr. Sweeney." She hung up the phone and turned to her eager husband.

"The phone call seems like it went poorly!" Peter cried. "Veronica, what happened?"  
She sighed as the responded, "Mr. Sweeney's crew's earliest time of arrival is in two months. They're all booked up. If you want an immediate job, it can't be him. We'll have to find another carpentry service."  
Peter nodded his head and said, "It's no big deal. We can find someone to do this quick and easy. I'll call a few more businesses."  
Veronica walked upstairs while Peter called a countless amount of carpentry companies. But none of them were available. None!  
"Honey, none of the well known companies are available," Peter explained, sighing. "Their waiting times are all just as long as Mr. Sweeney's, some even longer. I need this fence fixed now!"  
"Maybe you should switch to trying out a less known carpenter," Veronica said. "They're probably not as busy."  
"And there's a reason for them not being busy, Veronica," Peter said, sighing. "They'll probably do the job much more mediocre than the well known carpenters will."  
"You never know," Veronica said, shrugging her shoulders. "Jason had an unknown carpenter do work for his house, and it looks amazing. Maybe we should consider working with the guy that Jason used. He's a guy who works alone, but he gets the job done. Plus, we'll have to pay much less."  
"Okay, okay, I'll give it a shot," Peter said, nodding his head. "But I don't know yet. I want to talk to Jason about this. Besides, he has to tell me who he had that worked on his house."

So Peter went to see Jason that evening.  
"Dad... I mean, Mr. Hastings," Jason said awkwardly when he saw his biological father at the door. "What are you doing here?"  
"Jason, I wanted to talk to you about that carpenter that worked on your house," Peter said. "We want a carpenter that gets the job done, and all the big name companies are booked up. And Veronica says that your carpenter did a pretty nice job, so we wanted to have that guy do work at our house."  
"Oh yeah, he's a cool guy. He's young, but he's really talented with his tools," Jason said, smiling a little bit. "His name's Toby. I'll get you his number."  
Jason went inside and got a card with Toby's number on it. He went outside and gave it to Peter.  
"Here you go," Jason said, putting the card in his biological father's hand. "He always can start the job as soon as possible. I think you'll love him."  
"Thanks, Jason," Peter said with a faint smile. "This is really helpful. I'll talk to you soon... son..." The words escaped his mouth. He didn't know if Jason felt uncomfortable with him calling him his son.  
"Yeah, of course. I'll talk to you soon, Dad," Jason said, smiling.

"Veronica, I'm back!" Peter called as he arrived home. "Jason gave me the young man's card. His name's Toby, and according to Jason, he does a great job and he usually is ready to start as soon as possible."  
"Wonderful, just give him a call," Veronica said with a smile.

The next day, Spencer was coming home from school. When she went inside, she heard her parents outside. They usually weren't home till late night, so she was confused. She went to the source of the noise: the back yard.  
"Hey Spencer, you're home!" Peter exclaimed. "This is our new carpenter. His name's Toby, and he'll be working on our house for a while. It's no big deal, though. Shouldn't really affect you."  
"Not a big deal?" Spencer asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "When did all this construction start happening?"  
"We needed some back yard and some front yard work," Peter responded. "And this guy is an expert. Don't mind him. Go inside and do your homework."

She nodded her head as she walked back inside of her house. Hours passed. The carpenter was still working. Her parents went back to work later that day, leaving her alone with the new carpenter. She went to the back yard, since no one could stop her this time.  
"Hello," she mumbled as she stepped near him.  
He was shirtless, sweaty, and digging up the soil with his shovel. Spencer's eyes wandered down from his eyes to his abs. She wasn't trying to look, it just happened.  
"Hey," he said calmly, resting his hand on the shovel. "May I help you?"  
She didn't know if he meant to be arrogant or something.  
"I wasn't really looking for help in this house, but you're here anyways," she said coldly.  
And now he felt that she was being arrogant. He bit his lip, thinking of what to say. He knew he couldn't be too rude, since she could get him fired. He knew that she was the daughter of the people who had hired him, and if they found out that he was saying rude things to their daughter, they'd surely fire him.  
"Well, your parents hired me, so I don't think this really is about what you want," he said, getting back to digging. "I shouldn't be talking right now. I have a job to do."

She started to walk away, not really knowing what to say. She didn't even know why she was so rude to him. He never did anything to her. Besides, she didn't even know him.  
Turning back as she walked, Spencer said, "I'm sorry... for being kinda rude."  
He nodded his head.  
"I guess I'm sorry, too," he said, and started digging again.

The next day, when she came home from school, Toby was working outside again. Her parents, like the previous day, were busy at work. So, Spencer went back outside to their back yard to see him.  
"So, how long do you think this construction is going to take?" Spencer asked, twirling a strand of her hair, and unintentionally looking flirtatious.  
"Uh, a couple of weeks at the most," he said, nodding his head. "Sorry to always be around. I'm trying to get this done as soon as I can. Wait, you are the daughter of Mr. Hastings, right?"  
"Yeah, one of the daughters. My sister is gone, though. She moved out with her husband a while back," she said. "Why do you ask, anyways? Hoping to make sure I'm not, so you can be rude? I'm not their servant."  
"No, no, I was just wondering, Jesus," he said, sighing. "You've got some attitude."  
She shrugged her shoulders, not really taking it as an insult.  
"I live for that attitude," she said.  
"I should get back to work," he said, turning away.  
"Go ahead, I'd like to see what kind of stuff carpenters do," Spencer said, smiling a little bit. She didn't mean to sound flirtatious, but it always came out that way.  
"You're gonna watch me?" Toby asked.  
"Yeah, it's my house," she responded.  
"True. Whatever. If we're gonna be spending all this time together, can I at least get your name?" he asked.

"Yeah... I'm Spencer."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Maybe I Have a Crush**

Walking alongside one of her best friends, Hanna Marin, Spencer entered the Brew. It was this little coffee shop that Spencer and her friends always went to.  
"It sucks Aria and Emily couldn't make it," Hanna said, sighing as they walked in. "Whatever, I have to go soon, anyways. Caleb and I have a lunch date together." She smiled and giggled as they went to find a table.  
"It's fine, it's not like we don't see them almost every day," Spencer said. "I'll go order. What do you want?"  
"Frappe," Hanna ordered with a grin. "Chocolate, decaf. I'm getting sick of the taste of caffeine."  
Spencer raised her eyebrows, "Is that a joke? You know better than to say something about caffeine like that to me, Han."  
"Sorry Spence," Hanna said with a quiet laugh. "I'd rather not lie to you."  
"Lying is better than telling me that blunt and ugly truth," Spencer said, shivering. "I may just have to secretly put some caffeine in to get you back."  
"You wouldn't!" Hanna cried with a giggle. "Besides, it's not much of a secret if you just told me."  
"Shut up. When did you become the smart ass?" Spencer asked, crossing her arms.  
"When you decided to become the dumb ass," Hanna joked. "Now, go! I can't wait for my drink any longer."  
"Yeah, yeah," Spencer said as she walked into the line.

To her surprise, she saw Toby Cavanaugh standing in the line for a coffee.  
"Toby?" Spencer asked curiously. "What are you doing here?"  
"Getting coffee. What does it look like?" he said, chuckling. "I know, it must be crazy to realize that I exist outside of work. It's the weekend. My two days off. Expect to see me in Rosewood, you know... since I'm alive."  
"Smart ass," Spencer mumbled.  
"Hi, I'll have a dark blend, thanks," Toby ordered, handing the barista his money.  
Spencer stepped up.  
"One chocolate frappe, decaf, and one dark blend," Spencer ordered, giving the money to the barista.  
"Two? Are you just dying to drink a lot, or are you here with someone?" Toby asked.  
"Wow, okay, I have a life outside of being the annoying daughter that watches you work," Spencer responded. "Yeah, I'm here with someone."  
"Who is he?" he asked, biting his lip.  
"It's a girl. No need to get jealous, I don't have a boyfriend," Spencer joked, chuckling.  
"That's not what I meant," Toby lied.  
"Then what did you mean?" Spencer asked.  
"I assumed it was a guy, I don't know why!" Toby cried. "Whatever, I should head out."  
"You're going home?" Spencer asked.  
His eyes flashed hurt for a moment.  
"No, I'm not going home," he responded. "I'm just going out."

He left the Brew, so Spencer walked back to her table, where Hanna was sitting.  
"Who was that cutie you were just talking to?" Hanna asked, her voice full of joy. "I would almost say he's as sexy as Caleb."  
Spencer scoffed and said, "He's just this guy who's doing construction at my house. He works for my parents."  
"Well damn, he's cute," Hanna said, grinning. "Does Spencie have a wittle crush on the constriction boy?"  
She felt her body tense up for some reason.  
"No Hanna, of course not. He hates me, anyways," Spencer said, laughing.  
"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter. I thought you were trying to figure things out with Andrew, anyways," Hanna said.  
She swallowed hard at the thought of Andrew.  
"Figuring things out?" Spencer asked, rolling her eyes. "There's nothing to figure out. We broke up, and that's that. I don't ever want to be with him again."  
"Alright, alright," Hanna said, sighing. "Andrew was totally your nerdy type."  
"We had too much in common, and he was way too competitive with me!" Spencer cried. "I win some math competition, and he has to constantly try to prove that he's better at math. The guy has issues."  
Hanna said, "I thought that you likes guys with intellectual skills."  
"Sure, smart guys are great, but not when they act like smart ASSES," Spencer said, sighing. "And that's what Andrew did. Now, can we stop talking about him, Hanna?"

On Monday, Toby was back at Spencer's house.  
"Hello, muscle man," Spencer greeted, giggling as she stepped into the back yard. "What are you working on today?"  
"Setting up the actual fence," Toby responded, grinning at her.  
"Nice. Why'd you rush out of the Brew on Saturday?" Spencer asked.  
"I had to leave," he responded. "I was just going somewhere."  
"So, why didn't you go home?" Spencer asked.  
"Why are you interrogating me, Spencer?" Toby asked, sighing. "I feel like I'm being interrogated by the police. What did I do wrong? Not tell you my life story? I apologize."  
Her brown eyes flashed hurt. She started to walk back inside of the house.

"Wait, Spencer, I'm sorry!" Toby cried. "I just got defensive... I have a really bad past, and I just don't like the pressure."  
"A bad past?" Spencer asked. "Is everything okay at home?"  
"Yeah, everything is fine," he said, staring at the floor. "I sometimes feel like people will hate me if they know everything about me. There's always wires pulling me around."  
Their eyes met for a brief moment.  
"If you ever want to talk about it..." Spencer began.  
"I don't think now is a good time, I mean, we just met," Toby said.  
"You're acting like I'm trying to pressure you into something really bad, like drugs or sex," Spencer said, laughing bitterly.  
He tensed up again.  
"I know, but you are underestimating what my past is like," Toby said, sighing. "It's not as simple as it seems, but thank you for trying."  
"Yeah..." she nodded her head. "Okay, I'm gonna go back inside. Later, Toby."

"Wait. Spencer, I want to get to know you better," Toby said, grabbing her hand. Their fingers touched for a moment, and they both looked at each other intensely. "Do you want to go to a movie with me on Friday night when I'm off work?"  
She felt like she was being asked out. Her heart was racing.  
"Are you..." Spencer began nervously, swallowing.  
"Yeah, I'm asking you out... if that's okay with you," Toby said, staring at the floor. "I mean, ever since I met you, there was always something so witty and... I couldn't stop thinking about you since I met you. I know we just met, but..."

Spencer looked up at him with a smile.  
"I would love to go out with you."


	3. Chapter 3

**SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! Thank you guys for all the reviews. I also apologize that this is a really short chapter. The next one will be longer than this! Please keep leaving reviews. Thanks, everybody! **

Chapter 3

Stand Me Up

"You have a date!" Hanna exclaimed, jumping for joy. "I knew it when I saw you two—I just KNEW you had a wittle crush on the construction boy! Now you're going out with him this Friday!"  
Spencer chuckled bitterly and said, "See, this is why I don't tell you stuff, Han. Besides, it's just a first date. It doesn't mean anything."  
"What if it goes super well?" Hanna asked, grinning brightly. "What if it turns into a serious love story and you two become soul mates?"  
"Yeah, I doubt that," Spencer said, shaking her head. "It's just one date! It doesn't mean anything. I never said I liked him, I was just giving him a chance. It's just dating around."  
"So, you're implying that you want to be a slut?" Hanna asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"What?" Spencer cried. "No, Hanna! Sluts have lots of sex! I just said that I'm just going on one date with him. It's not serious."  
"I went on one date with Caleb, and then I fell in love with him so quickly," Hanna gushed. "Then we screwed in your lake house."  
"Jeez, Han, you don't have to remind me," Spencer said, shivering. "Emily accidentally dropped that bomb that a little blonde someone and her hacker boyfriend had been fraternizing on my nana's precious couch."  
"Maybe you could take your boy there and make some memories on that couch yourself!" Hanna exclaimed.  
"Not after what you did with Caleb there," Spencer said, laughing bitterly.  
"Oh, so if Caleb and I didn't screw there, you would have sex with Toby in the lake house?" Hanna asked.  
"No, I didn't say that," Spencer said, rolling her eyes. "What's with all the assumptions?"  
"You implied it. And assuming things... that's my job!" Hanna exclaimed, grinning. "I'm going to make that boy undress you with his eyes when he first sees you."  
"I think going dressed as myself will be good enough," Spencer said.  
"No, no it won't!" Hanna cried. "Come on, Spence, let me dress you for the date. I'll make sure you look good."  
"Fine," Spencer said, giving in.  
"Yay!" Hanna exclaimed, running over to her friend's closet.

It was finally Friday, the day of the date. Hanna kept sending Spencer texts on how to act during the date. The brunette chuckled and stuffed her phone into her purse. She smiled, looking down at her outfit. She really did feel pretty. Hanna had a good sense of style. The brunette waited outside of the Rosewood Movie Theater for quite a while. She glanced down at her phone. It was already past the time they were supposed to meet. Maybe he meant next Friday? She took her phone out again and called Toby, but he didn't pick up. She groaned and shoved her phone into her purse again. She was pissed.

"What do you want from me!?" Toby yelled, stepping away from the brown haired girl.  
Her green eyes pierced into Toby's soul.  
"You're dressed cute, big brother," she said, laughing bitterly. "Going somewhere? Not anymore."  
"I'm going on a date with a girl that I really do like!" Toby yelled. "Get out of my way, I'm already like an hour late thanks to you, Jenna!"  
"What?" Jenna cried. "You're going on a date with somebody! I didn't say you could."  
"And I don't need your permission to take a girl I like out," Toby snapped.  
"You're not going anywhere with her," Jenna said, smirking.  
She looped her arms around her step brother's neck.  
"Jenna..." he hissed. "This is awful and wrong. Stop it!"  
"No," she said, shaking her head. "You've been a bad boy."  
"I need to leave!" Toby yelled. "Jenna, let me go!"

That was it. She knew Toby wasn't coming. It had been way too long. She had been stood up. She pulled her phone out and called Hanna.

"Hey Han, it wasn't a fantasy date like you said," Spencer told her friend, trying not to whimper. "Could you please just pick me up? I think he stood me up."


End file.
